TAKING THE VATICAN TO TASK ON CRITICISM OF U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 003497

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/WE MENNUTI AND NEA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2013
TAGS: PHUM PREL VT
SUBJECT: TAKING THE VATICAN TO TASK ON CRITICISM OF U.S.
POLICY TOWARD MUSLIM WORLD


Classified By: Ambassador Jim Nicholson: Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).

--------------
Summary
--------------


1. (C) Following a post-Iraq war interview in which the
Vatican's senior official for inter-religious dialogue had
suggested the Administration's language during the Iraq war
could have created a conviction in the Muslim world that the
war was a war of religion, the Ambassador challenged the
official to justify this assertion and outlined USG efforts
to reach out to the Muslim world since September 11.
Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, President of the Council for
Inter-religious Dialogue, acknowledged that his statement had
been inaccurate, but defended it as a reflection of views he
had heard from his contacts in the Muslim world. Fitzgerald
welcomed U.S. initiatives to engage the Muslim world, and
agreed on the importance of working together to overcome
perceived divisions rather than add to them. End Summary

-------------- --------------
Setting the Record Straight on U.S.-Muslim Relations
-------------- --------------


2. (C) Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, President of the
Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue -- the
Vatican dicastry responsible for relations with the Muslim
world -- had sharply criticized the Administration's language
and tone in conducting the Iraq war in a late April
interview, asserting that alleged references to God and
messianic tones would "boost the impression in Muslim world
that the war taking place is a war of religion." He further
suggested that many Christian leaders in the U.S. had "marked
their distance from President Bush on account of the language
he uses." Following this interview, the Ambassador had
written Fitzgerald requesting an opportunity to discuss the
prelate's misperceptions.


3. (C) Meeting with Fitzgerald July 22, Ambassador Nicholson
challenged Fitzgerald's statements, pointing out that the
President had neither invoked God's name to justify war nor
employed messianic language that would in any way suggest
that the Iraq war should be seen as a religious struggle. On
the contrary, the Ambassador pointed out that the President
had gone out of his way to reach out to the Muslim world and
to emphasize America's respect for the Muslim faith and
Muslim people. He recalled the President's post-September 11
visit to the Washington mosque, his hosting of Iftaar
dinners, and meetings with Muslim leaders. He also pointed
out that the U.S. has repeatedly acted in defense of and to
provide liberty to Muslim populations in Kuwait, Bosnia, and
Afghanistan and Iraq. The Ambassador emphasized that
statements such as this from the Holy See could be seen as an
affirmation by extremists for their critical views of the
U.S. Given that the U.S. and Holy See were both seeking to
overcome perceptions of division between the West and the
Muslim world, the Ambassador concluded, Fitzgerald's
statement "really sets us back."


4. (C) Fitzgerald acknowledged the inaccuracy of his
statements and the potential for misunderstanding they could
generate. At the same time, he expressed his strong
objection to the U.S. characterization of Iran, Iraq, and
North Korea as an "axis of evil," saying he did not regard
the people of those countries as evil. The Ambassador
pointed out that the term referred to the oppressive
governments of those countries, and not the people who
suffered under them. While begrudgingly acknowledging the
Ambassador's point, Fitzgerald asserted that people in those
countries nevertheless felt they were being branded as evil.
Fitzgerald further defended his comments as reflective of
comments he has heard from many in the Muslim world, noting
that whether or not the perceptions reflected the reality of
U.S. policy, they did exist. He also noted that vituperative
criticism of the Muslim world by leading Christian voices in
the U.S. seen as close to the Administration had strengthened
this perception and "damned the USG by association."

--------------
Pope's Statements Defused Religious Clash
--------------


5. (C) Regarding broader relations between Christians and
Muslims, Fitzgerald indicated that the Pope's opposition to
war actually helped minimize the perception of division
between the Christian and Muslim faiths, making clear that
Christianity and the West are not one and the same. He
believes the Pope's statements were instrumental in
convincing many in the Muslim world that the war was not an


attack on Islam.

--------------
Working Together to Overcome Divisions
--------------


6. (C) The Ambassador emphasized the U.S. commitment to
improving relations with Muslim countries and indicated that
he believed the U.S. and Holy See could both advance our
shared goals by better coordinating our outreach efforts.
The Ambassador outlined Embassy planning for a cultural event
in the next year that would seek to bring together Christian,
Muslim, and Jewish performers, and suggested that this could
offer a vehicle for additional engagement. Fitzgerald
welcomed this initiative and agreed to consider how to expand
Muslim participation.

-------------- -
Vatican-Muslim Dialogue Still Lacking Partners
-------------- -


7. (C) Turning to recent activities of Fitzgerald's Council,
the Ambassador inquired about the status of the Holy See's
outreach activities to the Muslim world. Fitzgerald pointed
out that Muslim leaders had opted out of a recent meeting in
Damascus, leaving Christian leaders from Muslim countries to
discuss the state of relations among themselves.
Acknowledging his frustrations, Fitzgerald observed that
"unfortunately the Holy See does not choose its own partners
(who are often selected by governments and are often not
religious leaders). He also noted that Muslims who
participate in dialogue with the Holy See are often
criticized at home. On the plus side, Fitzgerald observed
that the Holy See and its Muslim partners have been able to
address issues that they would not have been able to talk
about a few years ago, such as the situation of Christians in
Muslim-majority countries. He welcomed recent developments
in Qatar where the Emir has expressed interest in developing
an institute for Christian-Muslim dialogue. Likewise in
Asia, there will be a meeting in Subic Bay in the Philippines
between Catholic bishops and Muslim leaders that Fitzgerald
would attend, and which he expected would generate a healthy
dialogue.

--------------
Comment
--------------


8. (C) Archbishop Fitzgerald's original comments reflect the
unfortunate tendency among some Vatican prelates who take on
board and pass along impressions gleaned from the European
media without checking their facts or drawing distinctions
between official U.S. policy and positions of other groups
and voices within American society. Following this
discussion and the extensive information we provided
Fitzgerald about U.S. outreach to the Muslim world, we expect
he will be more circumspect in future public pronouncements
and could be a useful ally in inter-religious initiatives.

Nicholson


NNNN


2003VATICA03497 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL